Ignition coils are systems attached to or integrated with internal combustion engines used with vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles. Ignition coils are induction coils that cooperate with a vehicle's battery to provide the energy required to power spark plugs. Specifically, the ignition coil typically converts relatively low voltage current from the vehicle's battery to the high voltage current required to generate a spark from the spark plug that ignites the air-fuel mixture within the internal combustion engine.
Ignition coil systems for motorcycles commonly include the ignition coil being positioned remotely from the spark plugs. Typically ignition coils are connected to the spark plugs by high-voltage insulated ignition wires that run from one location on the engine (i.e., the location of the ignition coil) to another location on the engine (i.e., the location of the spark plugs). Such an arrangement can cause clutter in and around the engine, expose the ignition wires to potentially harsh environments, and lead to suboptimal performance of the ignition system and engine.
In some cases, engines can comprise a “coil-on-plug” design, in which an ignition coil is disposed in contact with the spark plug, meaning that no such wire is required. In motorcycles, for example, some such systems are implemented into liquid-cooled engines. Such engines are specifically designed by their manufacturers to accommodate the coil-on-plug arrangement, with structural features built into the engine that hold the coil in position as it mates with the spark plug.